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Match Details
Fixture: (2) Alexander Zverev vs (8) Felix Auger-Aliassime
Date: 6 May 2022
Tournament: Madrid Open 2022
Round: Quarterfinals
Venue: Madrid, Spain
Category: ATP Masters 1000
Surface: Clay
Match timing: Not before 10 pm local time, 8 pm GMT, 4 pm EST, 1.30 am IST
Prize money: €6,744,165.
Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Amazon Prime Video | India - Sports18 & Voot
Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime preview
Second seed Alexander Zverev will square off against eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open on Friday.
The 25-year-old's only final this season came at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, where he lost to Alexander Bublik. Zverev moved on to the Mexican Open where he reached the second round. However, he was withdrawn from the tournament due to unsportsmanlike conduct in his doubles match.
After suffering a second-round exit at the Indian Wells Masters, the German reached the quarterfinals in Miami but was ousted by eventual runner-up Casper Ruud.
Zverev then made it to the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters but was comprehensively beaten by eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas. He was the No. 1 seed at the BMW Open but lost his opener to Holger Rune in straight sets. The German's season has been disappointing by his standards, especially considering the World No. 1 spot was up for grabs.
Seeded second at the Madrid Open, the 25-year-old received an opening-round bye. He fought back from a set down to beat Marin Cilic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and book a date with Italian youngster Lorenzo Musetti in the third round. The German took the opening set 6-3 and the Italian was forced to retire in the second due to injury, enabling the World No. 3 to book his place in the quarterfinals.
Auger-Aliassime had a very good start to the season as he helped Canada win the ATP Cup. He made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open before losing to Daniil Medvedev in five sets.
The 21-year-old then won his first ATP title at the Rotterdam Open by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. Auger-Aliassime reached the final of the Open 13 in Marseille the following week but was beaten by Andrey Rublev.
The Canadian then suffered a string of early exits at Indian Wells, Miami, Marrakech and Monte-Carlo.
Auger-Aliassime reached the quarterfinals of the Barcelona Open and the Estoril Open but was beaten by Diego Schwartzman and Sebastian Korda, respectively.
The Canadian is seeded eighth at the Madrid Open and started with a crushing victory over Cristian Garin. He then scored a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 win over Jannik Sinner to reach his first Masters 1000 quarterfinal on clay.
Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime head-to-head
This will be the seventh match between the two players, with Zverev leading the head-to-head 4-2. The German won his first three meetings with Auger-Aliassime in Monte-Carlo, Beijing and Cologne. The Canadian beat the German in the last 16 of last year's Wimbledon. Zverev then beat the Canadian in three sets in Vienna.
The two players locked horns in the ATP Cup in January, with Auger-Aliassime winning 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
The winner of the match will take on either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Andrey Rublev in the semifinals of the Madrid Open.
Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime odds
(All odds sourced from BetMGM)
Alexander Zverev vs Felix Auger-Aliassime prediction
Zverev will enter the match as the slight favorite given his superior ranking and claycourt pedigree. However, Auger-Aliassime has had a brilliant run in Madrid, putting up dominant performances (most notably against Sinner on Thursday).
Both players are strong on serve, so we are likely to see a number of aces throughout the match. There is also a fair chance of witnessing a tie-break or two.
Zverev has all the shots in the book, but a lack of focus has cost him a few times this season. The second seed will have to maintain his concentration throughout the match if he is to progress to the semifinals.
Auger-Aliassime served brilliantly against Sinner, winning 90 percent of his first-serve points and didn't double fault even once. He will need to put up similar numbers against the German. He will do well to target Zverev's forehand, which is prone to crumbling under pressure.
When Auger-Aliassime started his career, clay was considered to be his best surface. However, the Canadian has since enjoyed more success on hardcourt, with a run to the final of the 2019 Rio Open being his best result on the red dirt.
The 21-year-old tends to play his best tennis in the big moments though and might just be able to pull off the upset.
Pick: Felix Auger-Aliassime to win in three sets.
